Module Identifier GE33010  
Module Title ONE GERMANY OR MANY? GERMAN LITERATURE SINCE UNIFICATION  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Dr Paul Cooke  
Semester Semester 2  
Course delivery Lecture   10  
  Seminars / Tutorials   5  
Assessment Continuous assessment   1 essay of 1,500-2000 words (30%); 1 seminar presentation (10%)   40%  
  Exam   2 Hours 2 essays in 2 hours   60%  

Brief description


Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and subsequent German unification, the notion of what it means to be German and the place of Germany in Europe have had to be radically reassessed. This course will examine a range of key literary texts produced by artists writing in German since 1989, in order to explore the impact of the process of unification on German literature. we will examine, amongst other issues, how writers are tackling the re-emergence of violent racism (which interlinks with the place of writing by non-Germans in the literary canon), the role of easterners and the legacy of the Stasi in the new state, as well as the continuing problematic of the holocaust in the German consciousness.

Learning outcomes


Students should feel that they have a good, detailed understanding of the issues at work in contemporary German writing. They should have further developed their skills as critical readers of literature, and those students who wish to go on with their studies should feel that they have a solid foundation for postgraduate work in the field of contemporary cultural studies.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Brussig, Thomas. (1998) Helden wie wir. Frankfurt/Main: Fischer
Muller, Herta. (1995) Reisende auf einem Bein. Rowohlt: Reinbeck
Schlink, Bernhard. (1995) Der Vorleser. Zurich: Diogenes
Wolf, Christa. (1990) Was bleibt. Frankfurt/Main: Luchterhand